Feeding Your Baby in the First Year

Feeding your baby in the first year of life is an exciting adventure for parents and babies alike — it's about development, nutrition, curiosity, sharing and learning, and attachment grows alongside it as you go about your daily routine together. Getting the right start helps your baby develop a lifetime of healthy eating habits.

The first 6 months

For the first 6 months, breastfed babies get everything they need from their mother's milk — it has the right amount and quality of nutrients for a baby's first food needs, is easiest on the digestive system (less chance of constipation or diarrhoea), and contains antibodies and other immune factors that help fight off illness. Babies who are exclusively breastfed should get a daily vitamin D supplement, available as drops.

If breastfeeding isn't an option, use a store-bought, cow's-milk-based, iron-fortified infant formula for the first 9 to 12 months. Homemade formulas made from canned, evaporated whole milk (cow or goat) are not recommended — they can contain harmful germs and lack important nutrients. Soy, rice or other plant-based beverages, even fortified, are not appropriate breast milk substitutes, as they're nutritionally incomplete for infants, and there's no evidence soy-based formula prevents allergies — it should only be used as an alternative if your baby has galactosemia, or can't have dairy for cultural or religious reasons. Talk to your doctor if you're unsure which formula is best.

Introducing solid foods

At about 6 months, most babies are ready for other foods, and you can continue breastfeeding alongside them until 2 years and beyond. You'll know your baby is ready when he seems hungry earlier than usual, can sit up without support with good neck control, holds food in his mouth rather than pushing it out immediately, shows interest when others eat, opens his mouth as food approaches, and can signal "no" by leaning back or turning away. All babies are different — some are ready a few weeks before or after 6 months — but waiting too long past 6 months raises the risk of iron deficiency.

What foods should we introduce first?

First foods vary from culture to culture and family to family, but it's worth starting with foods that contain iron, which babies need for development — meat, poultry, cooked egg yolk and well-cooked legumes (beans, lentils, chickpeas) are good sources, and store-bought iron-fortified infant cereals (rice or barley) are common first foods for the same reason. There's no special order for introducing new foods, and it isn't recommended to delay any food — including peanuts, fish or eggs — beyond 6 months to try to prevent allergies, even for children at higher risk. When introducing a common allergen, offer no more than one per day and wait two days before the next, so it's easier to identify what caused any reaction.

Healthy foods your whole family already eats are the best choice for your baby — just keep them plain, with no added salt, sugar or spices. Commercial baby foods are fine too, as long as the label shows no added salt or sugar.

6 to 9 months

• Grains: 30–60 mL (2–4 tbsp) of iron-fortified infant cereal, twice a day, then other grain products like small pieces of dry toast.
• Vegetables: puréed cooked vegetables — yellow, green or orange.
• Fruit: puréed cooked fruits, or very ripe mashed fruits like banana.
• Meat and alternatives: puréed cooked meat, fish, chicken, tofu, mashed beans, eggs.
• Milk products: yoghurt (3.25% fat or higher), cottage cheese or grated hard cheese.

9 to 12 months

• Grains: other plain cereals, whole grain bread, rice and pasta.
• Vegetables: soft, mashed cooked vegetables.
• Fruit: soft fresh fruits (peeled, seeded, diced) or canned fruit packed in water or juice, not syrup.
• Meat and alternatives: minced or diced into very small pieces.
• Milk products: whole cow's milk (3.25%) can be introduced — after 12 months, cap milk products at 16–24 oz (500–720 mL) a day, since too much can lead to iron deficiency anaemia.

How much should I feed my baby?

Follow your baby's cues — start with a teaspoon or two, and don't rush; some babies need to try a food many times before accepting it. If she's not hungry, she'll turn her head and close her mouth; if she's hungry, she'll get excited and open up. Never trick or coax her to eat more with games or sweetened food — babies who follow their own hunger cues are much less likely to overeat later in life. Offer different tastes and textures to help her learn to handle food in her mouth.

Water and juice

Exclusively breastfed babies don't need extra water. Once your baby starts eating other foods, you can offer water occasionally. Babies and children don't need juice at all — too much, especially apple juice, can cause diarrhoea and fill up small stomachs, reducing appetite for nutritious foods, as well as contributing to early childhood tooth decay. Offer water between meals and snacks if your child is thirsty; if you do offer juice, make sure it's 100% fruit juice, always in an open cup and as part of a meal or snack, limited to 125–175 mL (4–6 oz) per day.